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UFT Sides With Insurgents In NYSUT Power Struggle (Updated)

A significant rift has developed between UFT President Mike Mulgrew and NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi, with the downstate teachers union honcho backing a slate of challengers against his statewide counterpart’s leadership team.

Mulgrew announced his support yesterday on the website of “REVIVE NYSUT” – the insurgent arm of the statewide teachers’ union that is challenging Iannuzzi and his allies in a fight for the NYSUT leadership. The opposition slate includes Andy Pallotta, NYSUT’s current executive vice president and a Mulgrew ally.

“We support the REVIVE NYSUT Unity slate,” Mulgrew wrote. “We have heard the voices from locals across the state and agree with their call for change.”

UPDATE: Pallotta is the REVIVE member who is drawing the most attention, due, I believe, to his Bronx roots and his alliance with Mulgrew. But he is seeking re-election to his current post. The presidential candidate challenging Iannuzzi is Karen McGee, a NYSUT Board member and president of the Harrison Association of Teachers in Westchester County.

Pallotta et al also has the support of NYSUT’s former executive vice president, Alan Lubin, who wrote on the REVIVE website:

“Four incumbents say ‘Now is not the time to change leadership.’ That’s an argument used in Union elections since the beginning of time. (Including by me, in the past!). We are past that argument now. The REVIVE NYSUT leaders argue for new approaches, new coalitions, and improved outreach and much more involvement and input from locals across the state to bring NYSUT to a higher level.”

NYSUT’s internal power struggle has been the talk ofeducation blogs for several weeks now, but so far has failed to break through into the mainstream media. The fight recently surfaced when state Education Commissioner John King suggested during a CapTon interview that Iannuzzi’s motive for advancing a “no confidence” vote against the commissioner might be more about problems within his own house and less about unhappiness with the Board of Regents’ implementation of the controversial Common Core curriculum.

Common Core – or, more specifically, its impact on the controversial teacher performance evaluation process (which, by the way, both NYSUT and the UFT signed off on) – is indeed a source of consternation among NYSUT members, especially on Long Island, where opponents have been particularly vocal. This is one of the prime examples offered by the anti-Iannuzzi faction about why the current leadership team needs to go.

But there’s also chatter that what this is really all about is an effort by the UFT to wrest control of its parent union once and for all. This theory is primarily being pushed by the pro-Iannuzzi faction, which thinks Mulgrew, who has a close relationship with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is particularly miffed that Iannuzzi is apparently unwilling to even entertain the possibility of endorsing the governor for re-election this fall.

(Recall that NYSUT remained neutral in the 2010 governor’s race, as did several other unions. Cuomo hasn’t done much since he took office to improve his relationship with much of the labor community. If anything, that relationship has deteriorated, thanks to the passage of Tier 6 and the 2 percent property tax cap, as well as several contentious contract negotiations with public employee unions).

This is the final year of Iannuzzi’s three-year term. Technically speaking, the NYSUT elections take place in April, and since the UFT controls some 40 percent of the vote, the outcome is going to be close.

But the union is holding a board meeting tonight and tomorrow in Albany at which the topic of trying to avoid the coming bloodbath will no doubt be broached. I did reach Iannuzzi this afternoon, and asked if he would consider stepping aside to avoid a fight – epsecially given the fact that this is an important election year in which the union I’m sure wants to play a big role.

“I will be in this until the end,” Iannuzzi replied. “I’ve been part of NYSUT for 40-plus years, and I know what NYSUT is. It’s an organization that has a really delicate balance between New York City and the rest of the state. It won’t be NYSUT if this crowd takes over.”

Neither Pallotta nor Mulgrew has yet returned a call seeking comment.

Also this weekend, a group of some 50 NYSUT local leaders from around the state – basically, everywhere EXCEPT New York City – will be meeting separately at an Albany hotel to discuss their support of Iannuzzi, but also their vision for the future of the union and what it should look like going forward. This group of Iannuzzi backers also has a wesbite: StrongertogetherNYSUT.com.

“which, by the way, both NYSUT and the UFT signed off on” Which means *what*, exactly Liz? That they’re now hypocrites because they’re “against” something they “signed off on”?

You do remember they were strong armed into “signing off” by Cuomo, right?

Clearly, making nonsense comments like that, you’re bucking for a prestigious position spinning nonsense at Fox Infotainment…

Tom

50 whole locals? Wow, that’s less than impressive given the influence Dick and the current leadership has had over these locals for the past nine years.

I am an upstate local leader that has joined forces with dozens of other upstate to support the Revive NYSUT slate. This is much more than a UFT movement and has been in the works by upstate locals for over a year.

It is an honor to have the support from our UFT Brothers and Sister, especially since Iannuzzi sought that same support.

If anyone has a doubt, I can assure you that there are well more than 50 upstate locals ready and willing to support Revive, who have now been joined by the UFT and UUP.

Sam

After considering the choices in the upcoming NYSUT elections, and the interests of the members of UUP, I am proud to offer my support to the Revive NYSUT Unity slate. NYSUT urgently needs committed, energetic leadership in these challenging times. I am excited by the prospect of NYSUT becoming a union which helps UUP in our struggles from Brooklyn to Buffalo. I am also confident that with the leadership of the Revive NYSUT Unity slate, our union will again become the powerful political force it once was in New York. And the Revive NYSUT Unity slate presents a real opportunity for a better future for all our members. I look forward to working with Karen Magee and the rest of her team in building that future.

Fred Kowal, President
United University Professions

Sonia

Again, the UFT conspiracy theory circled by some is just plain false. With all that has happened to us this last few years under the leadership of Iannuzzi, why is it so hard to believe that a bunch of local leaders and rank and file members would get together with Andy Pallotta to seek change? I am a local leader from the Rochester area and this has been a long time coming. We have already done the vision work and that includes REALLY listening to local leaders and rank and file members. Dick has had listening tours for the last several years but never hears a word we say. I’m tired of the soft stances on the issues that upset our members most. Enough is enough. Our members, the brilliant educators of New York State deserve more. Dick is a nice man but right not his tactics, approach and leadership style is not enough to take us through what lies ahead. It is time for change.

I appreciate that people working with Dick ate trying to reorganize their thoughts and vision for the future. We are truly stronger together and I believe that in the end, the so-called insurgent slate is just the team to pull us back together as one united organization.

That’s you brothers and sisters in UFT and in UUP for joining us in helping to REVIVE NYSUT.

http://MichaelBenjamin2012.wordpress.com/ Michael A. Benjamin

Attacking Liz for basic reporting is dumb and misleading.

Brian

As somebody who has been plenty critical of the incumbent regime over the last several years, the Revive NYSUT slate is insulting. To bill it as “grassroots” when a standing EVP is at the middle is appalling. To then have Mikey Mulgrew back them is all the more telling. Nobody is the face of selling out their rank and file more than Mulgrew. Nobody represents top down, business unionism more than Mulgrew. To have Alan Lubin run to Andy’s rescue is predictable as well.

What’s a shame is that NYSUT really could use bottom up types of changes. They really could use members of the rank & file to take a more pronounced role in their union, as the CORE teachers did in the CTU. But that is not what this is. This is nothing but a power grab. The fact that the same people line up with the same talking points and refuse to acknowledge that there is much about this slate that is questionable tells you everything you need to know… It is orchestrated from the top down with a few shills to fall in line.

It’s great of Tom to poke fun of 50 locals getting together to try and work for the betterment of their union. Not everyone has the luxury of controlling the UFT’s delegates, who have all signed the Unity loyalty oath.

Pallotta’s slate will win, because UFT/Unity runs the show. They are un-democratic, top down unionists at their finest. What’s a shame is that the real losers here will not be the incumbent officers, but rather that rank & file who suffer yet another blow from sell out “unionists”.

Darth

“Basic reporting” doesn’t include making it sound like NYSUT and UFT
were in total agreement with something they weren’t in agreement with,
Michael.

It’s a piece of information that either:

A: Wasn’t needed.

or

B: Should have noted that they “Signed off on it after being strong-armed.”